Formerly a convent and school, St. Cecilia’s Gallery is now a hub for rotating art exhibitions and film screenings, effectively bringing life back into the three-story building.

Recognizing the potential for discovery and experimentation in the St. Cecilia building, Rabid Hands has gathered over 40 artists to transform this space during their two-week residency. Given the narrow hallways and cordoned off rooms, the architecture of the building does not inherently lend itself to one large, continuous visual space, nor does it necessarily encourage group investigation. Instead of approaching the architecture as an obstacle, artists will use sound as the organizing and uniting principle. Embracing complete freedom, Rabid Hands encourages all participating artists to look beyond the confines of their personal forms and methods and merge their dialogue with the broader group. While individual works can be seen, what will emerge, more importantly, is the story of how these artists can influence the outcome of each other’s work by way of true collaboration.

Works will vary from: a “red carpet” of bubble wrap weaving through the convent’s hallways; an amalgamation of the exhibition’s microphone cords ascending a three-story tall sculpture made of found materials in the central stairwell, poised for sonic and aerial performance; a robotically controlled symphony of recordings filling the convent’s chapel with sound, as well as many other collaborative projects.